Springerville Generating Station
Owners: TEP (Units 1 and 2); Tri-State Generation and Transmission (Unit 3); SRP (Unit 4)
Operator: TEP/UniSource
Location: Springerville, Ariz.
Description: Springerville Generating Station (SGS) is a state-of-the-art coal-fired power plant that will assure fuel diversity for a secure Arizona energy future and also enhance national energy security by using a dependable, domestic fuel source.
Total generating capability: Units 1 and 2 each bring 380 MW, for a total of 760 MW. Unit 3, which began operation in 2005, adds 400 MW for a combined total of 1160 MW. Unit 4, which will be completed in December 2009, will add another 400 MW, bringing the facility's expected capacity to 1560 MW. Get details about the Springerville Unit 4 expansion.
Fuel source: Low-sulfur coal
Plant construction: Units 1 and 2 were completed in 1985 and 1990, respectively. Unit 3 was completed in summer 2006. Unit 4 construction begins in February 2007, with an expected completion of December 2009.
Plant operations: Springerville supplies power to Tucson Electric Power (TEP), Tri-State Generation & Transmission, and the Salt River Project (SRP). Air emission controls on Unit 4 will meet EPA's Best Available Control Technology (BACT) requirements. Furthermore, emission controls on Units 1 and 2 were upgraded as part of the plant expansion. As a result, emissions from all four units will be less than the original two units.
Currently, power from SGS units 1,2 and 3 is transmitted to Tucson and into the grid serving Arizona. In addition, some of the SGS energy is used by Tri-State Generation & Transmission, a Denver-based wholesale power cooperative with member distribution systems in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nebraska.
The plant utilizes a proven and dependable water supply. Well fields that supply the four units are from aquifers deeper and separate from the aquifer that the towns rely on.
